


Variables and Constants

by TheStripeyBag



Series: The C Sagas [4]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arcade, F/M, Gen, Masquerade, Order vs Chaos, Pool Party, headhunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:15:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26316286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStripeyBag/pseuds/TheStripeyBag
Summary: Sometimes to gain inspiration, a new outfit, or because they're bored Caleb and Levia gaze into the Multiverse. This is a collection of snippets and stories from across different dimensions and timelines. Thank you for the support and enjoy.We take commissions at https://ko-fi.com/vhenan/ and are open to request from private messages and comments.
Relationships: Caleb/Nidalee (League of Legends), Caleb/Riven (League of Legends), Sona Buvelle/Caleb
Series: The C Sagas [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1519622
Kudos: 1





	Variables and Constants

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vhenana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vhenana/gifts).



A/N Welcome, welcome, welcome! With this chapter all of the C Saga expansions are ready for true continuation, as in they have a specific place for me to put some of them. Also good news for my FanFiction readers, if you go to my profile by clicking on my name/looking it up then you can copy and paste my Strawpoll links for Chapter Select, Favored Hooded, and Favorite Sleipnir from there. More good news is after this chapter I will be working on true new chapters again instead of edited and updated versions of previous content. Now then I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and my future uploads. Please don't be afraid to PM me request for certain updates or vote in those polls if you can. Also learned truly that Magic makes me feel alive and excited with the new trailer and LOL makes me wanna die from depression. 

Alternate Universe Snippet: Arcade # 1

During an attack led by Battle Boss Samira, Team RGB, consisting of Sona, Riven, and Sarah, have been desperately trying to barricade the crumbling front entrance to Neeko's shop. The aforementioned lizard girl is currently overseeing her Neexies as they evacuate with her wares and coin. Taking out a cigarette, the merchant queen pulls out her lighter when suddenly a bullet destroys it. Before she can get her spare from her desk, another quake sends some of the roof smashing into it. Giving an exasperated sigh, Neeko tries to scavenge amongst the debris while the three players look at her incredulously.

"Does anyone have a light? Oh thank you Tiny Neeko. By the way did you three get your panties out of a bunch?" The lizard girl says before taking a drag from her cigarette. Around this time as well, the last of the Tiny Neeko Gang escapes via the back sewer hatch.

"How can you be so calm?! They’re gonna bury us alive at this rate you stupid lizard wizard!" Sarah asks as Team RGB desperately tries to keep a couch against the door. This grows to be nearly impossible as a demonic centipede appears and starts to act like a battering ram.

"Because Neeko knows that this is a survival type of mission. That means that we only have to survive until someone comes to help and since the last of the tiny Neeko's have left, we just have to last a few seconds before it's been ten minutes." As though to prove her point, the sound of a motorcycle approaches the cluster of various soldiers, demons, and machines assaulting the shop. Sitting in her wolfen two looking bored, Samira looks to the source of the noise and sees Team RGB's knight in shiny, red, leathery armor approaching.

“Well, I may be reckless but I’m not stupid.” The mercenary notes before leaving hovering mode. As a minion asks her where she is going, the one eyed woman simply responds with “To live.” before flying off. 

Arriving on the scene, Cero makes his presence known by pulling two assault drones together with the lightning variant of his sanjiegun to create an explosion, "Dope"- Rival Boss Quinn. A large ogre brute with a minigun notices the speeding fiend hunter and charges him. Cero evades his rush though by flipping into the air, and with a cry of “Cavalier Kick!”, splits his motorcycle into its chainsaw forms which make quick work of the heavily armored enemy, "Coooool."- Neeko. Soon afterward a demonic knight tries to cut him in half with it's massive axe but Cero easily leaps out of the way. When it’s long range allies begin to support it with gunfire, Cero spins midair and fires a charge shot from his trusty pistols into the knight. This ends up sending the knight flying into his allies before exploding in a flash of red, "Bold."- Riven.

With the amount of bullets entering the shop rapidly dropping, the ladies of RGB take a peek at what their op teammate is doing. Suddenly a pile of pizza boxes, sandwich bags, and various other fast foods enter through a hole in the roof like a wanna be loot crate. It takes the group of colorful women a moment to realize it's the lunch Cero went out to get as Neeko starts to scarf down her tacos.

Back outside, a purple Zac is trying to grab the evasive hybrid but is finding little success. Dawning his gauntlets and greaves, Cero begins to unleash a flurry of punches that disintegrate the tendrils before starting to work the main body. Even with it’s advanced regeneration, this miniboss stands no chance as it’s core is eventually pummeled and destroyed, "Awe inspiring"- Miss Fortune. A floating spectre with scythes for arms then emerges from the street via a portal along with a squadron of gargoyles. When the stone beings try to overwhelm the hero, he wards them off by spinning on the ground as his greeves burst into flames. 

"Hahaha I'm on fire! But in all seriousness, I’m getting bored with you guys." The veteran combatant taunts before becoming bathed in his own energy and fire. His body transforms into chitin and scales as he grows several inches, once kind amber eyes ignite before turning into slitted ones filled with hostility, leathery, draconic wings burst from his back before settling against it, and even his clothes harden into stone like armor, 'Spectacular'- Sona.

With a simple wave of his clawed hand, Devil Cero summons his very essence to form a greatsword that carries his name. Casually parrying away their attacks, the half Battle Boss slams down his blade with a wave of red energy that kills most of his enemies, "Smoke Show"- Jinx.

As the explosion fades, the commanding reaper flanks himself with what few fighters but a glint catches his attention. It turns out to be the Cero blade flying towards him along with a matching set of destructive, spectral blades surrounding the speeding weapon. With the ghost blades smashing away any enemies in the main blade’s path, it strikes true and embeds into the wraith. In a bit of role reversal, Cero is called to his sword before tearing it out of the enemy commander and bisecting him, "Simply Sensational Styling!"- Morg

"Alrighty then, a triple S and someone got divided by Cero! Heh. So are you girls alright and oh hey I completely forgot about you." Devil Cero remarks as the centipede monstrosity rises up and roars at him. This ancient being fails to intimidate the veteran fighter as he gently touches back down onto the street.

"Traitor!" Is all the beast can shriek at it's better with what little intelligence it possesses. Much to Cero's annoyance, this is yet another enemy that only recognizes him through what his father did. However it also provides him an opportunity, to both further inspire the future Arcade Goddesses and show off.

"I didn't expect to get a Quadruple S today or have to swap forms. Don’t worry ladies this will be over quick. Sin Form go!" Cero commands before energy gathers into the Cero blade as he drives it into himself.

"Don't look at it! You guys aren't ready yet! Still so coooool!" Neeko shouts before draping a fallen curtain over the faces of the rest of Team RGB and tackling them down. Glimpsing up, Neeko gazes at what was once Cero as he gives up most of the player and humanity in him to ascend. An inhumane roar is all that heralds the bright flash of light and pillars of flame that reduce all nearby enemies to ashes, "Super Smokin Sexy Style!"- Team RGB and FMC.

Alternate Universe Snippets: Primordial Order VS Chaos #1

Among the vast multiverses, a new universe is being born alongside two other beings of great power. One takes the form of a fiery, four armed, demonic knight who will be this world's incarnation of Lady Hell. Her brother, Paradise, has manifested in robes made of blinding light with clockwork angelic wings. To their combined horror though, the world they were set to be bonded with suddenly flickers out and dies. A stream of lost souls meant to inhabit this new world start to flood out but are held back by the pair. Not willing to become laughing stocks of the multiverse, Paradise and Hell come together to form a plan and a new plane for these beings.

Time passes and we find two massive armies facing each other down, marauders and devils against wardens and angels. They have all gathered in this barren wasteland to initiate a decisive battle. From the heavens a massive meteor crashes into the earth causing lava, fire, and dark stones to emerge from below. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the field, rain starts to fall as light breaks gently through the clouds and quickly fills in a crater to create a lake. As limbs start to manifest out of the inferno on one side on the opposite side light starts to become absorbed by the water. Not long after two groups of ten have emerged on both sides of this newly christened battlefield. Ten warriors of Order by the names of Riven, Nidalee, Garen, Karma, Syndra, Karthus, Jax, Pantheon, Brand and Yorick emerge from the holy pool as blue energy restores them. From the earth ten warriors of Chaos by the names of Yasuo, Lee Sin, Vladimir, Darius, Nasus, Vi, Caleb, Zoe, Rakan, and Sett shake off what unwanted stone remains on them before red energy invigorates them. With both groups of demigods manifested and their respective armies gathered, two final entities approach the fray. From the remaining magma a massive creature with four arms is created at the same time in the heavens an angelic being is formed from the clouds. Seeing their respective patrons observing, both sides begin to charge toward the opposing one. The demigods enter the war zone as well but they all know who their true foes are.

The Infernal one known as Nasus towers above the mortals around him while smashing through their petty defenses. While he is using their souls to further empower his halberd, the trail of broken bodies begin to rise again. A globule of light hits the dark ascended in his chest before the undead leap onto him with feral abandon. To disperse the now dogpiling corpses, the ascended summons a circle of hellfire beneath him before turning to his challenger. Yorick who was blessed by the Arclight stands ready with even more corpses. Ready to add another to the stack of still corpses in his wake Nasus rushes at the Arclight only for a ring of gold and light to surround him. Sending his small army of ghouls to attack, Yorick starts to walk away as Nasus struggles to smash the undead. Before he can be overwhelmed Nasus unleashes his inner fury to grow even larger as well as two extra heads. With a sandstorm and hellfire surrounding him it doesn't take long for the infernal being to break free of his cage. Yorick in response to this development throws off his cape and summons the Maiden of the Mist to empower himself. With his Queen by his side and a new army of ghouls raised, Yorick's ax starts to glow before he leads his new army's charge against the flaming cerberus.

A circle has formed amongst the ranks of Paradise and Hell as two brawlers begin to duel each other. Armed with only claws and some obsidian gloves Sett is attempting to punch the head off of Jax. The Archangel however is proving more than a match for the beast man bastard as he is knocking away the Demon's blows. With a final parry he leaves the hybrid open to being stunned by smashing his bell staff into the wolf man's face. Wings then sprout from Jax's back as he takes a might leap into the air to strike down Sett. The gritty fighter has other plans however as he releases his stored up energy in a destructive blast that grounds the angelic being. Grabbing the foot of his opponent, the fiend pulls Jax closer before punching him in the face and rushing forward into slamming the angel. Not one to be shown up in battle, Jax quickly gets up before six wings erupt from his back. He starts to swing his weapon so quickly Sett is put on the defense. An empowered blow mixed with his true angelic might smashes into the demon's chest and sends him flying onto his back. Spitting some black blood, Sett gets back up before cracking his knuckles. With their respective warm ups over both of the warriors can only smile, after all this will be a good fight.

A cluster of marauders are trying to cut off several wardens when they suddenly erupt into holy flame. The wardens peer into the golden blaze before falling back from the frontline as they notice their savior is Brand. With pure abandon the Arclight starts to set his section of the battlefield ablaze. An act that turns ally and enemy alike to nothing more than ash made husk in the ensuing inferno. Before the "holy" abomination can kill another group of marauders a feather slams into his head. Brushing off the attack Brand launches up a pillar of flame on the chaotic warriors who seconds later come out unscathed. A shield of hellfire had enveloped them before coming together to form a comet that crashes in front of the Arclight. Infernal Rakan then launches everything around him into the air with a burst of lava and flames. Internally all the mortal combatants are relieved that a champion of Chaos has begun fighting the holy flame wielder

On the opposite edge of the battle several boulder sized chunks of earth are torn out of the ground. Syndra then hurls them at the demons beneath here and crushes dozens of them to death. A stone then rockets past her head before the Justicar notices Vi sitting on one of her thrown motes juggling more stones. The smirking demoness smashes her bare hands together to summon her wings and gauntlets. As the Demon takes flights Syndra starts to summon her light orbs and more islands to crush her opponent. Bobbing and weaving through the projectiles Vi then punches her way through one that Syndra used as a shield. Before she can lay a claw on the holy sorceress a wave of energy shoves her back. A barrage of light spheres pummel the brawler as she starts to plummet. Vi then slams onto her feet before launching a long chain that latches onto Syndra. In desperation the Order mage tries to fly away but is quickly caught up to and body slammed into the earth.

Floating casual through the warring hordes Karthus is chanting hymns to help ease the dying. His work is interrupted by a massive shockwave nearby as Lee Sin is getting into the spirit of battle. Getting annoyed by the singing Lee Sin throws out a concussive blast at the Angel of Death. As it connects the confident monk kicks towards the passive angel who seems like easy prey. A flick of the wrist later makes Lee immediately stop his kick as a wall of golden clouds and gates appears. Closing his good book Karthus turns to his bloodthirsty opponent and unleashes his inner light. As magnificent wings emerge from his back an aura of pure radiance starts to encircle the mage. Mortals all around stop to gaze at the holy being before their life forces are drained to join his radiance. Knowing his enemies time has come Karthus prepares one final song. A gentle ray of light starts to envelope all of the champions of Chaos and angel feathers start to float down towards them. Lee Sin notices this and leaps to a nearby marauder before kicking away the holy creature. With this savage fighter in his way Karthus realizes now he will have to take this wild soul first to pacify the rest.

A different soul is also helping mortals move towards reincarnation as well. Lady Karma is moving towards the sounds of suffering souls when she comes across a grisly sight. Vladimir and several demons are using their magic to torture several caught angels. Driven to free the angels of their pain and punish her adversaries Karma shoots out a massive fireball at them. The self proclaimed "King of Night" notices this and while his fellow hedonists are disintegrated he merely sinks into his pool. As the dark mass quickly undulates towards her, Karma uses her magic to envelope herself in energy and run from it. An orb floats above the all consuming pool before shooting globules of death all around. One his the Dawnbringer in her back and slows her down enough for Vladimir to casually walk up to her. This proves to be a mistake as when he starts to drain her of her life force her mantra kicks in. The Nightbringer tries to pool but a tether ties him to Karma and when he is forced to emerge, finds himself wrapped in holy binds.

Amidst the roars of conflict two stand out the most, the roar of the majestic lion and the howl of the wolf of war. The two avatars lead forth charges from both sides to clash near their masters. Garen, eager to prove his worth before the other godly host, attempts to end his fight quickly with a decisive strike. These hopes are decimated when Darius pulls him closely and forces the orderly king onto the defensive. While they are in a contest of strength Darius starts to gain an edge before Garen splits his blade in two. Forced to backpedal, Darius can barely avoid getting hit as Garen starts to unleash a flurry of spinning strikes. Taking a desperate swipe Darius has the blade twist mid attack to smack away one of Garen's swords. Seeing an opening the wolf king draws his massive ax back and slams it around him. While this cuts through all the surrounding mortals, Garen summoning his avatar shields the blow when it comes to him. The two god kings stare each other down for a bit before charging at each other once more.

Prowling amongst the conflict Nidalee is waiting for an opportunity to pounce on an unsuspecting Chaos warrior. She is surprised when it's actually her that is ambushed when a chain tendril wraps around her and drags her to her presumably doom. Fallen Caleb is reeling in the cougar when she transforms into human form to escape the line. She is able to roll away and hurl a spear at the constantly shifting being when he tries to jump on her. The lost soul simply turns into flames as the spear passes through him before summoning a greatsword of obsidian. Nidalee decides to take the initiative this time and pounces onto Caleb, tackling him to the ground. Her massive teeth are only held at bay by the stone blade before it disappears. This throws the jungle cat off before a gauntlet grabs her neck and lifts her off. What was once an angel struggling with corruption is now a full blown demon with great power. With it's enhanced strength he wraps his arms around the cougar's body before painfully crushing it. When she is thrown away the guardian of the wilds sheds her bestial form. As the demonic being marches towards her Nidalee grits her teeth and heals her wounds for the fight ahead.

Several exhausted squadrons of wardens have managed to penetrate past the marauder lines but find themselves unable to continue. Seeing her playthings falling asleep, Zoe summons an orb of chaotic energies to smash into them. Before the purple and red orb can detonate however a line of golden shields blocks the explosive. From the dust Warrior of Dawn Pantheon emerges to face the self proclaimed "Jester of Madness". The monster with the face of a child summons several colorful orbs to circle her. Skipping and cartwheeling around her magic starts to fly out around Atreus into several victims who turn to ash. Not willing to let more people get hurt, Pantheon goes to slam his shield into the impish creature. His blow winds up striking the ground as Zoe has disappeared through one of her portals. The impish creature returns from above with a volley of paddlestars. Summoning his shields of light again the Warrior of Dawn also has spears explode out of the shield formation to stop the chaotic magic. When the barrage ends the soldier of light grasps his sword spear and throws the holy weapon at the devilish terror. Zoe avoids it with another portal before popping out near the back of the battle. Her giggles at the chaos she brought are stopped when the spear she avoided earlier lands in front of her. A star rises from the battlefield before an angel of war wreathed in golden and blue flames rockets down towards the little terrified demon mage.

At the center of this bloody confrontation are the two de facto leaders of both factions, Dawnbringer Riven and Nightbringer Yasuo. Both warriors are hacking and dashing through the grunts all around them before clashing. Yasuo is forced to jump back when Riven releases a burst of energy. She barely is able to duck under his blade when he slashes at her mid leap. The Nightbringer is quick on his feet and thrust forward which nicks Riven's side as she tries to tumble away. They both charge at each other again but both of their slashes are blocked by the other's shielding. The connection of holy and unholy energies causes an explosion that sends both leaders landing amongst the other's troops. As Riven uses precise and heavy strikes to bat away the surrounding marauders and demons, Yasuo cuts to ribbons the wardens and angels around him with his hidden claws. Several small flame elementals emerge from Yasuo's blade to attack the Dawnbringer who just smacks them away. This was a distraction however as Yasuo spits a demonic brew onto his blade which ignites it. When he slashes it a massive tornado of flames grows from it and catches Riven in it's vortex. A mask of flames covered Yasuo's face before he rockets into the air to unleash his ultimate technique. Clones made of smoke and darkness aid him as they smash into the angelic warrior before the demon gathers them into his blade. As he tries to smash her into the ground Riven's eyes glow an even brighter blue before she reveals her true self. This enhanced form grabs her demonic foe by the neck before throwing him into the ground. As the devil creates a crater from his crash Riven sends out a massive slash of holy energy towards him. Not ready to fall just yet Yasuo summons a wall of high winds and hell fire which blocks the wave of light.

As Yasuo gets back up a jet of golden flame careens toward him and as Riven lands a ball of wild magic spirals to her. Before either projectile can hit though, shields of light and hellfire protect both warriors though not their own. Both sets of champions line up together again along with what few mortal divisions remain. Their patrons imbue both sides with the same blue and red glows as early before they unleash their true forms once again. With this done both sides rush and fly forward one last time to decide this destructive and blood battle.

Hours later the clashing of blades ends when Yasuo dashes beneath Riven and cuts her across the back. With the last of the angelic host dead, the last of the demonic host looks around at the carnage. From countless broken bodies of mortals to the decimated supernatural creatures to even his fellow champions that now lay still the Nightbringer takes in the picture of death before him. As he gets up to leave the battlefield however a pain erupts from his stomach as he notices a deep wound. Letting go of his blade the dark swordsman tries to walk while holding his guts in but with his black blood leaking eventually he collapses. After he turns over and reaches for one last drink, the champion of this cycle notices that his blood has started to turn white and golden.

Time passes and the Primordial War ends with the world’s inhabitants able to live chaotic but free lives. The bodies are all washed away with rain and the return to the earth as even time forgets what has happened. Eventually two kingdoms arise from the ruins of this world, one living just but stagnant lives and the other free but darwinistic. A conflict inevitably arises as the influence of the harbingers of both the lion and wolf firmly take hold. From a grand city by a lake the people pray for their gods to lead and protect them. Outside of it's walls the people of the wilds pray to their gods for strength in destroying their oppressors. Both prayers are answered as a meteor crashes into the ground near the free people of this world. Meanwhile a gentle rain has started over the nearby lake and a being of light is formed in it. He quickly swims to the surface and without disturbing the surface walks onto land. From these waters a warrior with a white katana of pure light emerges while wearing golden and blue robes. His bush of golden hair is tied back with a pair of silver bands and he takes in the sight of the inferno not far from him. In the blaze he sees a giant who summons eight warriors of chaos before the flames mold into three more Infernal beings with two swords, a bow, and massive wings respectively. Witnessing the dark champions moving to meet with the Wolf King he is startled when a hand touches his shoulders. Yasuo turns to see his fellow champions of light emerging including a girl with a golden bird on her shoulders and a woman with a strange hat and rifle. The hand however belongs to the God King of Order who has come to gather his allies for the defense of his city. Aside from those champions noted the rest seem to be in pain before a blue glow envelopes all of them. On the side of chaos a similar red glow rewards them before they prepare to fight. Unbeknownst to both sides a pair children are growing alongside the latest cycle of conflict.

{Multiversal Romance}

(Main)

Deep inside of the C manor is a special study, while it contains several ancient tomes the most important aspect of the room is the large opaque glass. This mirror is actually a portal to the Multiversal Mirror chamber. Outside of the looking glass, Levia has just spent the last half hour looking through the books for hidden objects. Whatever high expectations she had for the skin Caleb would obtain are shattered when he emerges. The Hooded is currently dressed in a hot pink maid outfit with an open back and miniskirt, white long gloves and stockings, and matching ribbons cover his outfit. As Caleb is fixing his hair buns, Levia goes into the Betwixt Saw to become one with it.

"So what do ya think?" Caleb asked while staring into the guide bar. Levia can only be glad that Caleb can't see her disappointment or murderous intent.

'Okay, let me get this straight. You could've gone with Cero, Fallen, High Noon, or hell Courageous you! Instead you went with the skin that has you become an undead magic girl?! Infinite yous and you went with this version that dresses up in costumes?! Fucking nerd! This is why you're alone on Heartseeker's day.' Levia rants at her host and even revs to show her frustrations. Taking the alone part personally, Caleb has the manor manifest him a beanbag chair to crash into.

"You just reminded me of how I died before I could tell any of them how I felt. I wonder if they even still feel the same as me?" Caleb coldly remarks as he starts to sink even more into his chair. Levia notices how depressed he has suddenly gotten and knowing this could impact their survival, makes a suggestion, 'Use the Multiversal Mirror to help inspire you.'.

"I suppose it could work. Very well, I'll use it to peak at some other versions of myself. Maybe they've made up their minds." With that the zombie magic girl gets up and walks towards the mirror. Stepping through the glass, Caleb winds up in a small dark room. On his left and right he sees reflections of himself, these reflections then start to multiply until on both sides are an endless line of alternate Calebs.

(Masquerade)

We first get a glimpse into another world shaped by both Piltovian, Zaunite; and demonic influence. While most people live in the shining cityscapes, the richest and most prosperous members of society avoid the commotions of city life out in the countryside. Out here we find a hextech horse drawn carriage with a messenger for Lady Sona. His blue waistcoat and trousers go well with his silver bauta mask that's decorated in small intricate pigeons. As with every mortal in this plane, one's soul mask showcases their life, traits, professions and is fused to their face. As the messenger emerges to knock on the manor's door, Keeper Quinn emerges to greet him. Her colombina mask of azurite ends in two matching feathers while hosting a pair of copper crossbows with cracks over them. After brushing some dust off her maid uniform, fixing her black hair into a bun, and adjusting her thick glasses, Quinn receives the letter. Handing the messenger some gold pieces, the head maid of the house walks around the house to the

menagerie. She finds the lady of the house, Maven of the Strings, and matriarch of the Buvelle estates, Sona, helping some servants in feeding her pet scaled snapper. As the massive reptile leaves, Quinn hands her lady the letter requesting her services. Sadly it is not a request for entertainment, instead the king requires her aid in solving a crisis concerning deadly rogue automatons. Apparently the notorious Khada Jhin has managed to acquire a factory to produce the machines. For the past week they have swarmed locations all over the world and no one has managed to find his location. She was specifically asked for due to her reputation for being able to solve such difficult cases. Of course the young woman knows she doesn't do so alone. Signing to Quinn to bring the dark mask, Sona leaves to get properly dressed for her journey. A half hour later, Sona is standing in front of her mirror finishing dressing herself. She is in a long sleeved, high neckline dark dress that ends around the ankles. Sona has gone with a pair of brown tall boots with her matching black shawl and bonnet. Quinn then soon enters the room holding both a small glass case and Sona's personal organ. Opening the case, Quinn gently pulls out the right half of a soul mask leaking with corruption and whispers. Sona's golden moretta mask circled in ivory symphonies is partially overlapped by the demonic domino mask. From her shadow emerges a dapper man in a white suit, cape, right eyepatch, top hat, and only half of an azurite and copper mask covering his left eye. Using his Betwixt Cane for elevation, Caleb blows into Sona's ear which causes the Maven to shudder.

"Hahaha. Thank you for summoning me once again, my lady. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The demonic servant asks with a glean in his amber eye. Quinn quickly slaps her brother's head to snap him back to his senses. He is quick to fix his hair and hat, before summoning a breeze to ruffle Quinn's and ruin her bun.

'You two are ridiculous. Now then Caleb, I need you to take me to the daemon world. A killer has obtained a factory of automatons, we have been sought out to find it.' Sona tells Caleb with a smile. Confident that they can handle the task at hand, Sona leaves Quinn in charge of the estate in her absence. Caleb proceeds to then stab his cane into the ground and a portal of shadows swallow the pair. The well dressed duo end up warping to a dingy alleyway in the spirit realm.

Being a reflection of the material realm, the spirit realm has long since fallen to demonic influence and twisted into a massive cityscape. Smog and fog blend in the streets, imposing buildings stretch to impossible heights all around before colliding above, and pipes spread shadows everywhere with an aura of constant surveillance. If the mortal plane could be comparable to Piltover then this place is Zaun, just the place to learn about Jhin. As Caleb and Sona look for leads, she still can't help but wonder how Caleb can even stand living here. She knows that while she'll always be grateful for how he sold himself to a demon to save Lestara. Though she does wonder if the rat kings fighting each other, pipes leaking acids, or the imps gambling soul mask get to the twin. As they pass the upteenth husk of a mortal who lost their soul mask, becoming one of the Faceless, she can't help but feel her own mask for security. Sensing his lady's distress, Caleb pulls off his cape and puts it on her for a bit. Giving her a smile, he loops his arm around hers and they continue investigating. Eventually they make their way to one of the Bandle powered train stations.

Taking their seats on the Ionian Express, Sona can't help but feel something is wrong. Looking over the other passengers, she can't help but notice their eerily exact movements, mechanical even. Caleb, who can see out of her half of his mask, also notices what's exactly wrong at the same time as her. She already is using her organ to weave a shield as the first clockwork killer raises a gun at the duo. The automaton looks like a massive faceless puppet made of woven metal and bronze spirals. Four lanky arms end in a pair of revolvers and blades, the torso is home to a hextech core and lotus bomb on the front, and an opaque orb acting as a brain. As the twitching assailant fires it's first shot, her devil has already spectre dashed and stabbed it in the head with his cane. While it crumples to the ground, dozens of other automatons across the thirteen carts rise up with guns ablazing and blades swinging. Unable to help the other passengers, the two survivors of cart nine make their way to the roof. Caleb then picks up Sona and starts to run towards the front of the train. Along the way they also cut off the carts they cross with sound waves and eldritch blast. They even manage to make it to cart four, before the automatons finish killing civilians and all start gunning at them. Sona reacts quickly by making a bubble to protect them but finds it quickly losing strength. From the carts in front of them, a dozen machines start to emerge and like spiders make their way on top of the train. The machines charge to attack the duo but four are smashed about by Caleb's cane. Backing off, the automatons start to reload when Sona notices the upcoming station has a bridge over the tracks. She then tugs on her servant's leg and he understands what she wants from him. Before Caleb turns them both spectral, Sona unleashed a mighty Crescendo that lifts up the assassins. When the train pulls into the station, the robots smash into the structure while the pair arrive safely in a blood stained cart. Instead of running from the wreckage or investigating it, the various fiends instead leap onto the tracks to harvest the broken machines. Taking in the chaos, Sona sees fragments of soul masks among the scraps while Caleb wipes the blood from her.

When he's finished, the two leave the Ionian station to find a figure waiting for them by a carriage. Her dark amber eyes are hidden by a mask made of granite and steel shards in the shape of a half skull. A tight dark gray coat over a red shirt is wrapped around her body and a large collapsible blade is on her waist. As she approaches the two, Caleb and Sona grasp more tightly to their weapons.

"I take it you two are the emissaries from Demacia looking for Khada Jhin? My name is Riven Shonte and I'm a spirit under employment here in Ionia. We received a message that you two would arrive and my employers sent me to assist you." The warrior spirit informs the travelers before entering the carriage. Caleb assists Sona into the carriage before entering himself as the clockwork horses start to move.

"If you don't mind madame Riven, I will act as translator for my lady Sona. As you may be aware she is mute and can not communicate as easily as we'd wish." Caleb tries to tell Riven before she signs her understanding. Part of why the Council of Ionian Enterprises sent Miss Shonte was due to her knowing sign language.

(So lady Riven, are you able to tell us something of value in regards to our investigations? We have looked everywhere in Demacia but no one has been able to tell us anything.) Sona asked the ionian enforcer. Caleb then telepathically messages asking if they should just use telepathy, Sona tells him to hold off on it.

(We have in fact found out a place he frequents here in the spirit realm. There is an exotic "entertainment" building named the Widow's Web. From what we've gathered, he often requests a demon named Evelynn. As I'm sure you two can understand, the good people of Ionia would love nothing more than to see Jhin stopped. He is seen as a threat by most here and is wanted for a plethora of crimes. The most recent of which may include child abduction.) Riven grimly informs the pair of the last part. When pressed about it, Riven tells them that recently children across Ionia have gone missing and it coincides with Jhin attacks.

Sona's mind starts to race toward one dark conclusion as the trio arrives outside of the Widow's Web. While Riven leaves to try gathering more information, Sona and Caleb enter the den of debauchery. The three story building is divided into a different section for each floor. The base floor is decorated in plenty of plush furniture, where patrons wait to be served drinks and their turn. It's upper floors are separated via several elevators with the top floor being where the more exotic girls' rooms are. Red lights envelop the interior of the building with a soft pink glow as men and women perform stripteases on stages. The reasoning behind the building's name becomes clear when a foot tall spiderling approaches the two with a tray on it's back. Caleb explains that the purple brew is capable of altering one's mask to allow animity. Curious about how such beverages are made, they go to the receptionist by the elevators. Elise, who is currently working the desk, simply remarks that her friend Eve makes them. She tells the two that they'll have to wait a half hour if they wish to see the succubus. Suddenly a man's screaming is heard from the speaking tube leading to Evelynn's room. As the two make their way into the webbed lift, Elise warns them that Evelynn might be extra "feisty" now.

As the pair enter the expensively decorated room, Evelynn is dropping an assassin who was impaled from behind on her lashers. He had taken an animity potion to turn his mask into a plain white volto mask. Stepping over the fallen man's bloody body and tricone, Eve casually approaches her two newest visitors. When the demoness has her lashers try to touch Sona's mask, Caleb smacks them away with his cane. Upset at being denied, Evelynn starts to flail her lashers to get past Caleb who keeps blocking them. Tired of the demon's interference, the Widow Maker tries to use her Lust Dust on the two only for that to fail as well.

"Well, that hasn't happened before. So what do you two sticks in the mud want?" Evelynn asked before going back to lounging on the bed. Pushing the still bleeding corpse under the bed, Caleb then materializes a chair for Sona to sit in next to Eve.

"My lady would like to ask you some questions about your recent dealings with Mr. Khada Jhin. We have good reason to believe you have been aiding him in his recent activities. If you would be so kind as to point us in the right direction, we would be grateful." Caleb both requests and demands of the demoness. After doing some gratuitous and sensually stretching, Evelynn crawls over to where Sona is sitting. Caleb starts to bare his teeth and flare up as Eve then takes a seat in Sona's lap. When the demoness starts to get touchy with Sona's mask, dark ooze begins to pool at Caleb's feet.

"I'll tell you what you want to know, if she gak!" Evelynn can't even finish her request before she is lifted by a transformed Caleb. His previously white outfit has turned into shadows and flames while he chokes the succubus. With one hand, he slams Eve into the nearby wall and smashes her head against a wall lamp.

"She doesn't have to do shit for you whore! Now stop fucking around before I tear you apart!" Dark Caleb roars at Evelynn before skeletal wings erupt from his back. Evelynn is unable to respond as she's been paralyzed by fear at the sight of the demon lord before her. She would have even passed out if not for Sona getting behind the balrog of a man and hugging him.

'Caleb! Come back to me. You are not like this. Calm down my shadow and let the harlot speak.' Sona telepathically pleads with Caleb. Seeing what he currently is through her sad eye, Caleb calms down and reverts to his normally gentlemanly self.

"I'm so sorry my lady, it's just everything this woman does makes my skin crawl. Do forgive me for my outburst Miss Evelynn but we are in a hurry." Caleb tells the Widow Maker while dusting himself off. She eventually recovers and gets back up with some help from the visitors.

"Ouch, I'm normally the one doing the choking around here. I really should've realized why my dust didn't work earlier. Anyways since you let me keep breathing and Jhin was willing to send a friend of his to try killing me, I'll talk." With that Evelynn starts to tell Sona and Caleb what she knows. Jhin had been receiving a large quantity of her animity potions so he could travel with ease. He also wanted to use some of her Allure so it could act as a sedative, at the time Evelynn didn't care what or why he used it for. When she started to question what exactly the killer was doing, Jhin sent an assassin after her. With that Sona and Caleb depart, but not before Evelyn teaches them the runes needed to reach the factory.

While the pair arrive at the factory hidden in the Ionia mountains, Jhin has sent an unwelcome surprise to the manor. In retaliation for trying to stop him, Khada has sent over sixty of his automatons to destroy the mansion. As they start to shudder across the courtyard, three are quickly taken down with head shots. On the roof of the manor, dozens of single shot rifles and crossbows line the rooftop walkways. A blur moves between the various firearms, taking down five more of the automatons before they can blindly return fire. On top of the central spire is Quinn, rifle and crossbow in each hand and without her glasses. A brass eagle then lands on her shoulder with a letter tied to it's leg. She reads it and it says that Caleb's Order will be arriving soon to help. Quinny can't help but chuckle a bit at this, after all she's fairly certain that she can clean up this mess before they can arrive.

(Pool Party)

Due to someone saying his name elsewhere, Aki sneezes a bit before going back to sunbathing with his drink. He got said drink earlier from the Graggy Cabana, which is currently suffering some issues due to Gragas starting to sober up. Apparently someone managed to steal his keg of infinite Graggy Ice while he slept. Because of this he is no longer angry drunk and is instead just angry. Since he won't make people's drinks, Riven and Caleb have volunteered to try and find the keg. It doesn't take long for them to find it though, seeing as it's being offered as a prize for today's competition. Realizing they are going to have to swap from their street clothes, the two go to change at a booth.

"Hey Riv, I was planning on going snorkeling later so maybe we could just ask the winners to hand it over?" Caleb asked while adjusting his wetsuit and shades. The purplette decided to wear it underneath a pair of black trunks and a purple and white hawaiian shirt.

"Come on Caleb, it'll be over quick before your dive later. Besides it'll be fun right?" Riven adds while trying to convince Caleb to help her. She comes out wearing a creme bandeau two piece swimsuit and an emerald sarong around her waist. With both of them properly dressed for the beach and pool, they pick up their respective "weapons". For Riven she has gone with a massive chilled watermelon sword that is filled with ice cream and regenerates to sate her sweet tooth. Caleb has his weird transforming parasol with a slitted eye on top. It's capable of giving him water guns, pool noodles, webbed gloves, or can just be used to smack people.

Ready for combat and a day of beach fun, the two head towards the beach where the Shurimans are organizing the day's events. Lifeguard Sivir is currently sitting on her tower taking names of the pairs that wish to compete. She stops for a second though in order to throw out her lifebuoy to Amumu who started to sink a little. Picking up a radio from her tower's equipment box, Sivir makes a call.

"Nasus can you cover me while I handle this? Okay thanks. Alright we've got some fun planned ahead for you all. Usual rules apply here which means no killing, no maiming, no being a simp, no flashing, no inting, powers are allowed, avoid any angry crabs and have fun." Sivir tells the gathered contestants, because if not Renekton might yell at her. With that she then throws a green smoke bomb in the air and soon afterwards a loud rumbling is heard. Taliyah then nearly kills all sixteen contestants when she forms a circle of eight massive sand castles. Each one is twenty feet in all dimensions and fifty feet across from it's opposite.

The eight teams are to each be given a castle that they must defend until four others are completely toppled. One player is allowed to attack freely while the other must defend and can only attack the castle across from them. The teams consist of Caleb and Riven, Vi and Caitlyn, Garen and Lux, Ashe and Tryndamere, Ahri and Yuumi, Qiyana and one forced Neeko, Darius and Draven, and finally Katarina with Cassiopeia. Each team universally agrees the more melee focused champs should be on the attacker. They are each given five minutes each to prepare and make a plan.

"Hey Caleb, I know earlier I said it would be quick but now it's looking like it'll take a bit. I don't wanna hold you up or anything so we can drop out if you want." Riven adds while they finish up their battle plan. Caleb, after finishing up their secret culvert, simply walks up to Riven and puts his hand on her head.

"I knew what I was getting into with this. Besides I'm the one who put the idea of getting a Blue Buhru in your head, so I figure I'll take responsibility and help you." Is the answer Caleb gives Riven, who then starts laughing. When she then tells him, "That's very honorable of you.", he then tells her he is also doing it because, "You look good when you smile and I love seeing it.", which immediately makes the platinum blonde go quiet while blushing. She then punches him in the arm before they turn to the sound of a voice being broadcast.

"Oh cool this thing is on. Welcome to today's games which are sponsored by Burger Emperor, Burger Emperor 'The order is given!'. Hahaha you know what's funny is I'm not actually the announcer, I just walked in here. By the way, Fat hands and Hat Lady I have a bomb next to me so get used to the sound of my voice. You've all got ten seconds to and begin!" Jinx shouts from the broadcast booth. As the attacking contestants begin to race to each under a hail of water fire and pool toys.

The chaos begins with Vi knocking Darius with her massive pink and yellow boxing gloves. With the older blood brother on his back, Darius is soon bombed by one of Neeko's water balloons. Seeing how destructive the axolotl's Blooming Burst are, Yuumi messages Ahri to hurry over to their rival's castle. Ahri, summoning jets of water around her, Spirit Rushes past Qiyana and throws her volleyball at Neeko's head. With the lizard going down after being clonked on the head, Qiyana summons a massive sea breeze to shove everyone away. The "Empress" day quickly gets worse though as a geyser of water surrounds her. Riven and Vi are also impeded by Yuumi's Final Chapter but only Qiyana gets hit by Draven's axes. Seeing what his brother is doing, Darius drags the Ixtal royal to him before slamming her with the blade of his ax. She winds up sent crashing into her castle which promptly comes crumbling down. While the little empress starts to chase Not Neeko for "costing them the game.", everyone else refocuses their efforts. Ahri tries to fall back to help defend the castle but is sniped in the back by Caitlyn. The fox's castle is then quickly set upon by Tryndamere and Garen. Yuumi and Book feel like they could handle one of the swordsmans but both are proving too much. Luckily an orb of water blows up between the spin artists as Caleb has decided to lend a hand. The cat's smile quickly evaporates as a massive arrow of water smashes into her castle and sends it crashing. Caleb, who feels like he could've helped more, does get a chance at redemption though. His partner Riven has unfortunately gotten caught in Cassiopeia's sand trap Miasma. He is able to quickly fish her out with a Coercion line before Garen can slam his great pool noodle onto her head. The demacian captain then gets to work on destroying the noxian nobles' castle. Katarina Shunpos in order to help her sister but finds her pool toys blocked by a shield from Lux. Knowing she can't break it in time, Katarina then takes a different approach. She leans in close to Crownguard and quickly whispers something into his ear. No one knows what she said to get Garen to stop but it works, though it doesn't matter as Vi slams them both into the Noxian's castle. With Vi taking out one more castle, Caitlyn sets her sight on C but doesn't see him on the ramparts. Instead the drawbridge to Riven and Caleb's castle crashes down and standing there is Caleb, surrounded by water and with his pool noodle raised. With one yell of "Betwixt!", he slams down a massive blade of water into Caitlyn and Vi's castle. As the sand settles our remaining teams of Ashe and Tryndamere, Darius and Draven, Caleb and Riven, along with Garen and Lux are granted one hour to prepare for the next challenge.

"Wow that was an awesome ending C! Anyways the next challenge is a game of kibasen but with a twist! You will all have to make a third friend from outside of the competition and carry a yordle. So try to avoid anyone with murophobia or zoophobia or xenophobia, kay? Now then if you all don't mind I'm gonna go get a hot dog and nevermind I'm going to be barricading the door. So while Fathands tries to break it down, let's check in on the losers. Take it away Koggy!" Jinx shouts into the mic before shoving a desk in front of the door. We then cut to Kog'maw, who is scratching under the belt keeping the camera strapped to his head.

"Come out, come out wherever you are? I just wanna talk to you, dumb lizard." Qiyana mumbles while stalking through the beachgrass but fails to notice Neeko camouflaged on the nearby tree. The last we see of the two, Neeko is leaping onto Qiyana while repeatedly whooping, shouting freedom, and stabbing the royal with a popsicle.

"So what did you say to Garen to get him to stop Kat?" Cassiopeia asked while returning to her lounge chair. The redhead then glares at her part sea snake sister and the younger sibling knows to drop it for now.

"It's okay Yuumi. We tried our best and that's all that matters." Ahri tells her teammate while petting the cat. Book however feels differently and proceeds to teleport Ahri several feet above the filthy pool Twitch is in.

"She's dug in there like a tick. Cupcake we're gonna need a blowtorch or something because apparently fucking space dwarves built this door." Vi tells Caitlyn after punching the reed door for several minutes straight. At that moment Kog'maw runs up and starts scratching the door to get his treats. It doesn't take long before Piltover's Finest lift up the voidborne and start to drag his acid dripping tongue on the door.

All over the beach random yordles begin to approach their respective carriers. For Riven and Caleb, despite being on land, a squid crawls up to them before turning into a kid. Caleb is already squeezing the small yordle girl in a hug before she announces that she is on their team.

"Oh my gods! Oh my gods! Oh my gods! I love it! I love it! I Love It! She's so fluffy and cute. What? Oh don't look at me like that Riven. I lose it over innocent, cute things and you go crazy over sweets." Caleb plainly states while shooting Riven an unamused look. Lulu gets scared a fight might start but suddenly Riven starts laughing.

"Hahaha Oh my gods. You flipped so many switches just now. Oh man my sides hurt. We still have a problem though Caleb, we need to find a third person. Also I kind of feel like you carried me in the last game and I didn't do anything." Riven notes that last part with a depressed look on her face. Caleb puts down Lulu and picks up the depressed swordswoman in an equally big hug.

"You drew attention to yourself and bought me time to build up a big Pumpkin Slash. Remember I'm always here to pick you back up and that's because you do the same for me. Now about that whole needing a whole team problem, I think I know who can help us. Quick question, how long can you two hold your breaths?" Caleb asks while looking between the two confused ladies. Riven answers with a minute and a half while Lulu says two minutes, Caleb then answers the pair with a simple "Perfect."

When the time comes everyone gathers back on the beach for the second competition. Garen and Lux have brought Galio with them to help protect Rumble, who managed to turn Tristy into a palanquin. In the event anyone brought a friend who was too big a special magic field was placed on the beach. With it beings, like Galio, have been shrunk down to a more medium sized version of themselves. Darius and Draven managed to get Sion and Kled, High Major Commodore of the First Legion Third Multiplication Double Admiral Artillery Vanguard Company, on their team. Ashe and Tryndamere have gotten their close friend Braum to aid them and Gnar, who was lured into working with them using donuts.

"Hey Caleb, are you sure about this plan of yours? I am with you if you think it'll work but I'm a little worried if "it" understood you." Riven inquires of Caleb before turning to their final teammate. Behind them with Lulu clinging to her dorsal fin is Rek'sai, who managed to get bribed by the duo's ice cream stash.

"Alright nerds get into position and go! Wait, why is the door smoking?" Are the last words Jinx says before a loud crashing noise and some screaming is heard over the microphone. Nobody goes to investigate the commotion though as the contestants all start to charge each other.

All except one, Lulu's team instead become enveloped in a crystalline blue and purple energy before sinking into the ground. Team Rumble and Gnar don't pay much mind to this though as the quartet of noxians slam into them at high speed. Before Kled can use his axe to rip the headband off of Rumble, Galio puts a wing in the way. As Rumble then makes some space for his team when he uses his water thrower to push the other teams away. Gnar, who dislikes getting wet, then throws his boomerang at the mech riding yordle. It doesn't get far before though as Draven hits it midair with one of his axes. The younger blood brother doesn't get to laugh for long since Ashe then shoots him in the face with a water arrow. Pissed at the face his hair just got ruined, Draven tries to charge towards Team Gnar but this doesn't work though since Sion wants to charge Team Rumble. Darius struggles to get his team under control but can't get his words in over Kled's crazed yelling. The mess of a team even manages to fail at feeling the sand rumbling underneath them until it's too late. From beneath the sand Rek'sai burst forth, the noxians are already disorientated by this attack when Lulu then uses Wild Growth on herself. As the sand and water form an enormibus avatar of Lulu, Riven uses a burst of ki and sand to help stun the noxians even further. All of this leads up to a hyperventilating Caleb using a Coercion slug to pull off Kled's headband. The other two teams are so stunned by the coordinated attack that only Team Gnar, by noticing a heavier weight on their shoulders, snaps them out of it. This split second head start is enough for them to then get the edge over Team Rumble. Lux is barely able to put up a shield when Mega Gnar Boulder Tosses a sand castle at them. As they try to fall back, Tryndamere shouts insults at them which hurts Galio's feelings and slows them down. The ground then starts to swallow them as Ashe douses the beach in water arrows. Garen tries to spin away the wet sand but Team Gnar is already on top of them. Lux tries to bind the freljordian champions but Braum puts his surfboard in the way and blocks it. From there it doesn't take long for an enraged Tyrndamere to push his way to Rumble and tear off his headband.

With that the second competition ends with Ashe and Tyrndamere moving on to the finals to face Caleb and Riven. The celebrations are cut short however when a gust of warm wind rolls over the beach. From the air a massive blue and white seagull appears, Anivia then starts to flap her wings which violently blows air around. Caleb tries using his parasol as a shield to protect his team but ends up being lifted away by the extreme winds.

"Caleb! Anivia what the fuck are you doing?! Oh shit! Will he be alright up there?!" Riven begins to panic as Anivia roosts in the nearby trees. She can't help but look at the former noxian with some sadness. But this wasn't a personal attack for the phoenix as it would've happened to the other teams if they won.

As several champions run to see Caleb floating away on his parasol, Lee Sin doesn't follow the commotion. Instead he tries to focus his attention back to the woman who was near him. Instead of finding the sexy sounding woman nearby, he finds out that both her and his coconut drink are missing. As the blind man stomps off to get a new drink, Neeko emerges from the bushes covered in a red liquid.

"Jungle cat Nidalee! Neeko needs help buying a new popsicle! Her old one melted and she can't remember if it was cherry or strawberry! Also Neeko is free again! Nidalee?" Neeko stops her shouting when she sees a quadrupedal catfish creature leap into the water. The aquatic being is last seen making a beeline towards where Caleb is floating off to. Hopefully she can get him back before the final contest and before anything nasty in the ocean can.

(Headhunter)

In a Malza-Cathian lab on the jungle plant of LV-572, a man's body on an autopsy table starts to spasm. From his chest burst forth the head of a xenoborne warrior known as Kha'zix. The alien infant is barely outside of its host when the room starts to fill with gas. It first tries to crawl up towards the vents, but the company has learned from their previous experiments to prevent such escapes. A minute passes and two mercenaries in white body armor and purple hazmat suits enter the room. It doesn't take them long to find the infant creature lying under the table. As one of the soldiers tries to grab it, Kha'zix rears his head and opens his mouth to spit acid. Hitting his target over the eyes, the small uses this opportunity to quickly escape the room. Climbing into the first vent it sees, the xenoborne has it's escape interrupted when the vents begin flooding with nerve gas. It then quickly notices a fan leading to the outside and manages to avoid being cut apart by it. Over the next few hours, by eating the locally imported ionian giant squirrels, Kha'zix is able to grow into a more mature form. Telepathically receiving a signal from deeper into the jungle, Kha begins to make his way towards it. Eventually the monster arrives at a pyramid surrounded by Malza-Cathian mercenaries and scientists. Over ten thousand humans live on this world and within a week less than a hundred have survived.

Not long after Specimen K-6 escaped a distress signal was released which was intercepted by multiple groups. One of which are the Colonial Landing and Assault Corps, who after disasters on various other worlds, are looking heavily into Malza-Cathian operations for crimes against sentient life. After establishing a base camp on LV-572, six hundred of two thousand troops are dispatched to investigate the signal's location. Dozens of UD-4 Dropships fly through the air before landing close enough to the ground to deploy M577 APCs. In one of these troop carriers is somewhat of a celebrity amongst the marines inside. His name is Caleb and he has both the honor and horror of having survived a previous xenoborne outbreak. He is simply sitting in silence in his M4X armor, which comes with long armored sleeves, thick gloves, a full face mask with ballistic shielding; all of which is resistant to xenoborne blood, when his fellow marines approach him.

"Are you alright sergeant? You did so much to survive these freaks last time and already let yourself be deployed again." Colonel Lucian asks Caleb before he is quickly answered back with an "I'm fine sir." The conversation quickly ends though when the marines come under attack. The armored carrier Caleb and Lucian were riding in, was crashed into and flipped upside down by a Herald xenoborne.

A minute passes before Lucian and Caleb manage to emerge from the downed vehicle. All around them squadrons of marines are engaged with various xenobornes. Their guns, flamethrowers, and explosives clashing against acid, spikes, and claws. Lucian is quick to join the fray and lead his fellow marines with M4A4 machine pistols ablazing, while Caleb sneaks off during the conflict. The marines quickly begin to form a line to hold off the hoard before they receive new orders. Apparently not too long after their inquisition started a xenoborne managed to infiltrate the base. It's a unique breed from the other terrors since this one can seemingly evolve on the spot. Realizing the need to fall back immediately, Lucian's troops begin a slow retreat back to base. Upon seeing a lone marine, several Zix attempt to ambush Caleb but are cut down by pulse rifle fire. After finishing off the last of the deadly aliens, the rogue trooper receives a transmission from Lucian.

"Caleb where the hell are you?! Everyone else is falling back to base and we have your signal nearing the pyramid." The colonel demands over the comlink. Caleb then quickly lies that he was pushed this way and got cut off. Before Lucian can question him further, the line ends and isn't able to be reopened. Having smashed his communicator, Caleb then pulls out a recorded message and listens to it again.

"Hello Mr. Caleb. As you already know, we have your two close associates under lock and key with us. Just a reminder though, Quinn and Sona are safe with us but they won't stay that way for long. Hehehehe especially since one of them has a nasty parasite and the other is considered both company property and a traitor. So listen up "hero", unless you want Quinn to become a mom then you'll bring us a queen egg along with any tech you can find on LV-572. While you're at it make sure to destroy anything that could be considered evidence, got it?" The voice of Malza-Cathian thug and PMC leader Graves can be heard. Caleb's reflection is interrupted when all over the jungle loud howls and roars can be heard. He knows that this can only mean one thing, the Headhunters have arrived.

From her perch in the trees, Nidalee sees a lone marine surrounded by Zix bodies. Her green eyes notices another Zix getting close and she blows into a special whistle. As the evil creature leaps towards the lone marine, two massive alien cats with deadlocks and covered in armor burst from the brush. By the time the soldier has his rifle raised, both cougars have already ripped in half the xenoborne. At this moment Nidalee breaks her camouflage and leaps down to impale her prey. He is able to roll out of the way and opens fire on the huntress, this works at making space but no in harming the Headhunter. Alyx and Ryo, her cougar companions, charge the marine and each grab an arm which disarms the target. Luckily for him, his armor protects his limbs enough that he is able to reach for his belt and tosses down a flashbang. This shakes off the beast but ends with him being kicked squarely in the chest by the masked huntress. He winds up falling over a tree root and afterwards Nidalee tosses a net onto him. As the netting starts to constrict and cut at the soldier, he frees himself using a combat knife. Upon seeing this, Nidalee realizes that this must be the human that survived BV-558 and grins at the prospect of his trophy. She tries to skewer the man with a thrust of her spear but has her attack redirected into a tree. While her mask gives her protection from the follow up punch, it doesn't help as much when she gets suplexed. Her cougars siblings would like to help their huntress sister but know how Headhunters get about their kills. So instead they start to patrol the area for more xenobornes, confident Nidalee can get the kill. The marine then attempts to put the huntress into a chokehold but has it broken when she slams her head back. This shatters the prey's shielding but not before he blinds Nidalee with mud. After both combatants take off their mask and throw them at each other, they can't help but find the other attractive; even if Caleb is covered in bruises and cuts. For the next twenty minutes they continue to try beating the other into submission but start to succumb to fatigue.

"Getting tired sexy, I mean crazy cat lady?" Caleb taunts Nidalee while avoiding a wild swipe from her spear. He then picks her up and slams the woman into a tree but gets kneed afterwards.

"Not yet, soldier boy." Nidalee counters before slamming her combistaff into his head. Shocked that the predator can speak common, Caleb is unable to block the next attack which stabs his shoulder.

"Fine, kill me if you can but promise me something. There are two women that need help, I need you to save them." Caleb requests of the huntress before ripping out the spear. It then becomes Nidalee's turn to be surprised, from both being headbutted and caution for the hunter's code. The "blooded" woman then puts her spear in the ground and demands the marine explain. He sits down before pulling out the message he received from the Malza-Cathian PMC leader.

"This will help. Be strong though because this will hurt." Nidalee mentions before calling one of her cougars to her. She removes a tube device from a pouch before snapping it in two. Before Caleb can question her actions, Nidalee injects him with the healing shards. Caleb is barely able to bite on his glove before a searing pain consumes his body. "I can't let you take our technology. But I would like to help you Mr. Caleb."

"Caleb is fine. Also I didn't plan on giving them it, only fooling them into thinking I was. By the way, what's your name?" The marine asks as the last of his wounds heal. When he stumbles up, Nidalee introduces herself and her companions, Alyx and Ryo. When Caleb asked why alien cougars had Runeterran names, Nidalee simply responded that she was born there.

Several years ago, Nidalee was the main administrator for a colony when it came under attack by xenoborne. After helping get everyone off world, she joined with the Headhunters that arrived and helped kill a Gath queen. From then on she was marked as a blooded hunter and points to her forehead scar. The Headhunter is then treated to a story from Caleb, about what exactly happened on BV-558. He tells her of how it was his first mission and how a Headhunter ship attacked them. The CLAC were scattered from there but despite that, with extreme luck and skill, Caleb managed to survive. Nidalee even tells him it's okay when he mentions how he had to kill Headhunters to live. Afterwards his ship was captured by Graves himself and from there he made his deal. The huntress then hugs him, as soon he starts to cry at both his weakness and Quinn's plight. Soon the tears stop and Caleb's last words before passing out are "So beautiful.". Nidalee then gently places the exhausted soldier onto the darker alien cat's, Ryo's, back.

(Can we eat this one sister?) Ryo asked while pawing at Nidalee's arm. She manages to stifle a laugh before disappointing the alien cat with a no.

It is already night when Caleb finally reawakens inside of a cave with Nidalee and the cougars on watch. She also found the time to scavenge for him an extra pulse rifle, several grenades and flashbangs, a M39 submachine gun, a M4A4 pistol, and a new helmet to replace his old one.

"Thank you Nidalee. Though I still can't quite figure out why you're helping me or being so nice." Caleb notes while checking his ammunition. Nidalee then takes a seat next to him and the two stare into the fire before them.

"At first I tried to hunt you because I saw easy prey, then I saw worthy prey, and after that I saw someone who needed to live and had a nice face, even if it was busted. It's also nice to have someone around who compliments you. A lot of the other Headhunters don't even see me as equal." Nidalee adds with a hint of sadness before curling up her knees to her chest. Caleb scoots in a bit closer and when he asks, "Why is that?", she simply answers, "Because I'm human.", before putting her head on his shoulders. The twin gently replies to this with a simple, "Is that really such a bad thing?", as they get back up to prepare.

After Caleb puts on the helmet, Ryo and Alyx roar into the darkness as a small horde of Sai charge their camp. Between the net traps, massive amounts of gunfire, and cougar claws, Nidalee and Caleb are able to push back the invaders. The huntress then pushes a few buttons on her wrist and afterwards a Headhunter ship appears. With it they fly to the overrun pyramid and disembark, but not before leaving the cougars onboard. Since they left the cougars behind, Nidalee and Caleb can advance into the dark temple using stealth. Inside they find that the ancient structure has been outfitted with lots of electric equipment and amenities. This doesn't alleviate the feeling of being inside of a nest of pure evil though, which is only made worse somehow by the lacking of xenoborne. The only two explanations are either the hoard is deeper in the hive or attacking in mass somewhere. Eventually the pair are able to find the power grid the corporation installed and turn it back on. While this illuminates the temple, it also turns on the emergency protocols and causes sections to become shut off. Through the nearby blast doors, the intruders can hear a buzzing and growling sound approaching them. At first they think the acid proofed doors might hold out for a while, until a pair of scythe like claws start to pierce them.

"Damn it! We need to get out of here and quickly. Nidalee come here and I'll boost you into the vent." Caleb tells the huntress before they manage to escape the room at the last second. The last thing he sees in the room is a massive purple and black xenoborne with insect wings and razor sharp claws.

As the pair begin to crawl through the vents, those same claws begin to stab into them. Eventually the xenoborne grows tired of taking blind stabs and rams it's head into the path of the pair. While Nidalee holds it back with her spear's shaft, Caleb unloads an entire clip of his pistol into the monster's face. This dazes the beast enough that it falls back out of the ventilation but doesn't seem to kill it. With their pursuer deterred, the soldier and Headhunter continue crawling to a new location. However the commotion they caused doesn't go unnoticed and soon another Zix blocks their path. Nidalee quickly kills this one but it's blood causes the section she was on to fall. Caleb is forced to watch his companion fall into an abyss but nevertheless jumps in after her. He winds up going down a slide like passage and arrives at the center of the pyramid. The marine arrives in time to shoot off a facehugger from Nidalee's still form. Before he can check the huntress vitals, a loud roar shakes the chamber. This manages to snap Nidalee awake and draws their attention to the source of the noise. Flickering spotlights reveal a twenty feet tall xenoborne queen with an extra set of pincer ended arms and spikes jutting from her shoulders. She raises her seven pronged crested head high and roars again at the intruders. Apparently when she crashed into the room, Nidalee accidentally destroyed several eggs. Seeing the queen, the huntress tries to get up but finds a shard of metal in her left thigh.

"It's okay Nidalee, I've got this one." Caleb says before giving her a thumbs up and a smile. He then takes the chance to note the circular chamber when the lights stay on. All around are various large machines that seemed to serve the purpose of holding back the queen.

"Oh no, I trust you and like you Caleb but I'm not letting you do this alone. I'm just as good a Headhunter as the next, no matter my species. Now let's do this." Nidalee proudly declares before tearing the piece of metal out of herself. From the ceiling, Zix lurkers begin to crawl down from the ceiling to protect their queen.

"Ha! Well then, let's squash some bugs." Caleb confidently declares before checking his rifle.. With the limping huntress by his side and thirty nine rounds left in his rifle, Caleb simply notes that, "He likes their odds.", before opening fire.

(Main)

Caleb is now relaxing on one of the manors many balconies, drinking some iced tea while watching the sunset. He is now in a modified school uniform with a long jacket that has a chain on the shoulder, a peaked cap with a golden badge that has an eagle and serpent on it, and an armored, humanoid version of Levia beside him. The Hooded yawns a bit and barely catches the Roc flying in from a distance. Finishing his tea in one chug, Caleb returns to the Multiversal Mirror chamber.

'Well my whiny bitch, have you decided? Which orphan girl or girls with issues will you try to woo? Shouldn't be too hard right? After all, I hear that meeting the parents is the wor.. Ahk!" Levia is quickly shut up when Caleb punches her in the face. She then starts cursing for a solid minute, both about Caleb's lack of humor and how the room let's him touch her in this skin.

"I don't like it when people threaten or make rude jokes about those I care about. Also I think I need a bit of time, especially since they're all so amazing. Nidalee is just so nice to me despite the fact I'm no one to her. We both just instinctively have to take care of all the innocent creatures we see from animals to children to Neeko. Not to mention she somehow manages to show up when I need her most. As for Riven, we go back to the war and share an unspoken battle sync. She also promised me then that if we both survived then in time she'd show me how to live. But I'm willing to put that aside for a bit if it means I can help her find peace. Oh but Sona, she is able to find the humanity in me and bring me back. Plus it feels like we were meant to meet since I was the one who gave up everything to save her mom Lestara. I even gave her the ability to get past my mental barriers and touch my mind whenever she wants. Seriously fuck me because it doesn't help they're all great and total bombshells." Caleb lists off before leaving the Mirror in his normal look. Eventually he decides to leave it to future Caleb before going to bed. Meanwhile, sneaking into the manor is the Sleipnir Squad who have a special and small someone with them. After surviving a jigsaw style trap building, the four champions have taken it upon themselves to care for a brown and puffy bat vastayan baby they found.

As for the other multiverses, we see Riven nervously waiting in a large pool opposite of Ashe and Tryndamere. The judges are about to disqualify her when from high diving a gurgling roar is heard. It's quickly followed by a splash as Caleb, with the sun at his back, dives into the pool to help. Inside of the xenoborne temple, a loud whining noise is heard throughout it as well as a massive explosion. Kha'zix quickly makes his way into the queen's chamber, only to find her head netted to what was once a flamethrower turret. While the huntress and the marine have disabled every other xenoborne in the area due to their victory, Kha'zix is not done evolving yet. On the masquerade plane, Jhin reveals himself while Sona takes in the faceless children around her. Caleb is able to sense her anger but can only hold her since on the mortal plane he can not truly act without orders. He wipes away her tears before she gives him an order, 'Cut his head off and tear out his guts!', which makes Caleb go Dark for her.


End file.
